In the art of mining, conveyor belts are used to receive, transport, and deliver mined substances such as coal, ore, and the like from one location to another. For example, conveyor belts may be used to carry mined material out of a mine and deliver it to a location external to the mine such as a holding area or transport vehicle. Conveyor belts may also be employed for carrying materials between processes. These belts can be extremely long and can move the material at high linear speeds.
Typically, driving mechanisms such as motorized wheels or pulleys are used to transfer movement to the conveyor belts. Generally, one driving mechanism is located at an entry end of the conveyor belt where material are received onto the belt and another driving mechanism is located at a delivery end of the belt where the mined material is deposited from the belt to an external location. One of the driving mechanisms may be free-wheeling if the appropriate to the specific use.
During the transfer process, it is not uncommon for mined material residue to adhere, cling, or remain on the belt as the belt makes its return to the entry end from the delivery end, subsequent to the bulk of the transported material being deposited from the belt.
The process is somewhat complicated in high dust applications such as coal mining because the liquid is often used to suppress dust. The liquid causes increased residue to build on the conveyor belt. This material can transfer to and build up on pulleys, rollers, idlers, and bearings. This build up of material causes excessive wear at a minimum and can cause seizing in bearings and may lead to fires, a catastrophic result. The mined material can have huge fluctuations on moisture content (% water), and water is often added to the coal during the mining/handling processes.
Belt scrapers are often employed to remove this material from the conveyor belts to prevent the transfer to other elements of the conveying system, thereby preventing damage to those elements. Scraper blades are attached to a tensioner unit which is used to maintain contact between the scraper blades and the belt, typically at delivery end wheel or on the return run of the belt. The dynamic nature of the environment and the abrasive nature of the materials being carried by the endless belt require belt scrapers that are durable and that can be maintained in contact with the belt with consistent pressure. The belt scrapers are expendable elements of the system and any economy that can be achieved with the belt scrapers is an improvement in the economic efficiency of the system.
The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior conveyor belt cleaner scraper blades and assemblies of this type. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.